Furnace for progressively heating metal plates or packs.



n... e99,|3o. Patnted may 6, |902.

, T. v. ALLls. A FURNACE FDR PROGRESSIVELY `HEATING METAL PLATESOB'PACKS. (Appliation led Feb. 1, 1901.)

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THoMAs v. AKLLis, or BRIDGEPCET, CONNECTICUT.

I FURNACE FOR'PROG'RESSIVELY HEATING METAL PLAIESOR PACKS.

vr:TIPE(LIFCIICALION forming'partof Letters PatentNo. 699,130, dated May6, 1902.

` v Application filed February 1, 1901. Serial No. 45,631. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit knownthat'I, THOMAS V. ALLIs, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Bridgeport, in thecounty of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain s new and useful Improvements inFurnaces for acteristics. v

In order that comparatively thin plates or packs of such plates may be,uniformly heated in a progressive manner, it is necessary to construct afurnace of considerable 'length and that the impetus propelling suchline of plates or packs should take place at short intervals; otherwisethe force required to move said line through a furnace of sufficientvlength to heat said plates or packs while traversing such furnace wouldcause a riding or overlapping of the plates or packs one upon the other;also, the leaves comprising a pack would be forced between the leaves ofadjoining packs,thereby 'bending and distorting them. -To obviate thisdimculty, I have constructed a furnace wherein the hitherto longheating-chamber` is ldivided into comparatively short chambers arrangedon different parallel planes one in advance of the other, with passagesbetween each chamber. In the respective chambers the temperature ofeachmay be regulated as required without materially altering thetemperature of the adjoining chambers. This graduation of heatis a veryimportant feature in the manufacture of black plate, the packs of whichbefore rolling require an even mild soaking heat, which, through the'peculiar arrangement of my furnace, I am able to effect. The firstchamber, where the cold plates or packs are charged, can be very hot,thus quickly heating the incoming metal and overcoming -the chilling ofthe furnace by the constantlyentering cold metal. The next chamber ofthe furnace may be of somewhat-milder temperature,and so onward to thelast chamber,where the metalis given that soaking mellowingheat, lsonecessary to uniform ductility. In heating and rolling packs of thinmetal it is very gree causes cracks and ragged edges and consequentwaste. With my improved furnace I am ableto obviate all of theseobjectionable features and deliver the packs at a uniform mellowheatzandwithout exposure to the` cooling and oxidizing influence of airand unevenly-heated currents direct to the first pair of rolls, Wherethe principal and heaviest reduction is made. In my construction I breakup this long heating-chamber into short compartments or chambers, stepthem 0E, and direct the heatvandrflame across the furnace and notlengthwise. I am thus able to practically control-theheat of eachchamber and its contents. s

To enable others to understand my invention, reference is Ahad to theaccompanying drawings, vin Vwhich- Figure -1; represents a longitudinalinterior view of myfimproved furnace, also sets ofreduction-rollsarranged in tandem,also an auxiliary setofreduction-rolls placed to one side.

Fig. 2 isa plan view of separable heatingchambers c omposing thefurnace, showing a relative arrangement of the chambers and mountedonways. i transverselsection of one of the furnaces.

The construction and operation are as follows: v

The furnace (shown at Fig. 1) is composed of thetwo end sections 1 and 2and the movable central section 3. The sections 1 and 2 have. theirheating-chambers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 staggered and arranged onein advance 'of' the other. The4 metal Vplates or packs a are entered atthe respective chargd ing ends 4 and 11 of the iirst or primaryheating-chambers 4 and 11, and they are moved through said chambers bymeans of the pusher-rods 12 and 13. When the forward packs in thesechambers have reached the short transverse passages 14' and 15, thepusher-rods 16 and 17, operating through the Fig. 3 is an enlarged willcarry said packs into the transversepassages 27 and 28, whereupon thepusherrods 29 and. 30, operating through the openings 29a and 30, willcarry said packs over into the last chambers 7 and 8. Then thepusher-rods 31 and 32, operating through the openings 31 and 32, willcarry said packs through said chambers and also through the chambers 33and 34 of the middle section 3 to thel central opening 35 of suchsection. It will be understood that all of the pusher-rods in sections 1and 2 operate alternately. From either of these chambers 33 or 34 thepacks are alternately pushed into the guideway 36, and from thence apack is pushed forward to the first set of rolls 37 by means of thepusherrod 38 operating through the opening 38 of said central section.Other rolls, such as 39 and 40, are used when a further reduction isrequired, and 41 and 42 are guideways to the rolls.

When t-he metal is rolled in packs, the thickness ofthe component leavescannot be measured, and the only way to determine whether they have beenrolled to the proper gage is by the amount of elongation produced in thcrolling. To determine this, the elongated packs are measured after theyleave the last set of rolls in line, and if not found of sufficientlength they are transferred over to the auxiliary pair of rolls 43,where` the proper reduction is made. This set of rolls is placed to oneside, so as not to interfere with the continuous output of the tandemtrain by-attempting to reroll packs in the last set of rolls in thetrain. The number of pairs of rolls will of course be determined by thenature of the work and the amount of reduction required. This feature ofmyinvention forms the subject-matter of a separate application for apatent filed by me August 31, 1901, Serial No. 74,024, and is not,therefore, claimed herein.

44 and 45 are fines in one side of the sections for the introduction offuel-gas, and the apertures 46 and 47 on the opposite side of saidsections are for the escape of the waste products of combustion. Thecentral section has the flue 4S, which matches with the fiues 44 and 45of the end sections, as

VWell as the aperture 49 to match with the apertures 46 and 47 of saidend sections.

section on Wheels (not shown) running on the track 50. The advantage ofthis movable feature is for convenience and accessibility to the rolls37 Whenever the same need repairs or changing, or at the end of a WeekSwork said section can be run back and away from the other sections, andthus enable the packs remaining in the end sections of the last chambersto be removed.

. A modification of the above-described construction is shown at Fig. 2,wherein separable and movable furnaces 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11,having heating-chambers, are relativelyr arranged with respect to eachother, as in the three sections shown at Fig. 1. Each of these furnacesis mounted upon the tracks 81, 32, 33, and 34, and adapted thereby to beremoved when repairs are needed and replaced by other furnaces. Eachfurnace is provided with the delivery extension 56, through Which themetal is transferred from one furnace to the other. 57 is a channelironlying on the furnace-floor 58, in which the packs a are placed. Thepusher-rods 12, 13, 16, 17D, isb, leb, 23h, 24, 25, 26h, 29h, 30, 31",32", and 88 perform the same functions as the pusher-rods in theconstruction shown at Fig. 1.- The fuel-gas may be supplied to saidfurnaces by coupling to pipes in y any convenient location.

I may find it desirable to use either section 1 or 2 separate, in whichcase the chambers 7 or 8 might extend up the rolling-field, or I coulduse sections 1 and 2, leaving out the movable central section and extendthe chambers 7 and 8 up to the rolling-field. This modification of theconstruction shown in Fig. 1 is embodied in a separate application for apatent filed by me September 23, 1901, Serial No. 76,205.

It will readily be seen from the foregoing description that progressiveheating and rolling are eected. While there is an intermittent movementof the metal in each section, caused by the slight delay in feeding for-Ward and transferring the metal from one chamber to another, themovements will be so arranged that While the metal is being transferredfrom one chamber to another in one section the metal is fed forward inchambers of the opposite section. This will result in a delivery ofpacks into the rollingeld as fast as theycan be rolled and handled.These intermittent or alternate movements enterinto the calculation ofthe time required for heating the metal and determines the length andnumber of the heating-chambers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A furnace for progressive metal-heating consisting of a double seriesof heating-chambers and a central heating and delivery cham-l berintermediate of said series, the several heating-chambers composing therespective series being arranged in a staggered relative position andcommunicating 011e with another IOO lIO

composed Of adouble series of separable and through transverse endpassages and each l central chamber, and said chambers mounted serieswith said central chamber substanen Ways for purposes of removal,substitutally asset forth. tion or repair, as set forth.

2. A furnace for progressive metal-heating Signed at Bridgeport, in thecounty of Fairz5 field' and State of Conneeticut,this 30th day ofJanuary, A. D. 1901.

THOMAS v. ALLIs.'

movable' heating-chambers relatively arranged in a staggered positionand a central heating and delivery chamber intermediate l Witnesses:

, JOHN B. CLAPP,

l` GEO. E. I-IEBBARD.

of said series, the several heating-chambers composing the respectiveseries communicating One with another, and each series with the

